Mercy

I watched the first episode (as I do with all new shows) to test it. All I can say is that another famous TV nurse with a military background...Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan...wouldn't't have taken five minutes of any of this. Doctors who show no professional respect to a nurse; drunken parents who can't show any sympathy for their daughter's problems; marital/relationship issues; etc....Margaret would've either freaked out or hit somebody just because it felt good to hit someone! I honestly had enough of the oily bearded doctor and the drunken parents after one episode. The younger nurse who couldn't turn off the life support and/or froze in an emergency will be OK after a few episodes. Veronica needs to channel the spirit of Margaret and tell some people to simply take a hike!

Mercy was a very good show that for some reason was canceled at the end of season one. Granted, it had some parts that stretched the reality level a bit, but isn't that what TV is for? The nurses appear to have more knowledge and abilities than even the doctors around them at times, but their own stories are so captivating that it doesn't really matter. Usually there is more than one writer on a show, and from the way the characters talk (they all sound the same), it seems like there was only one here, but that was OK. The interaction with patients is a bit more relaxed than you find in real life, but honestly, wouldn't you rather go to that hospital than any other one anywhere? DEFINITELY YES! I watched it for Michelle because I have adored her ever since I saw her on Buffy. Jaime Lee was awesome too, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Miss G-I Jane was good too, staggering from one disaster to another. Although Veronica seemed to be the lead focus of the show, I put her in third place and followed the other girls. It started out good, but then somehow began to get seriously better and better in every episode. They thought they were writing a season cliff hanger, but as it turns out, it became a series finale that would leave you screaming for more.

There are a lot of idiot shows out there that should be canceled but they persist. This was a very nice show that should have lived a bit longer. I thought it was great.

I loved the show and want it back. The network cant leave a cliffhanger like that then choose to end the show. We should have a petition. I never heard of this show till I was on netflix not too many watch TV now a days and when you find a good show and watch the whole thing and at the end your looking for the second season and it says there isn't one. Thats heart breaking. They said they canceled the show because on average only 3.6 million people watched it, then they just disappointed 3.6 million people. Thats a lot of people to me. I think if a show is going to end then they should at least take the time for a last show to give us closure. I cant stop thinking about the last episode.

Look, the other reviewers have covered a lot of points -- acting is pretty good, story lines are engaging. My beef is with how the writers play up the nursing and downplay the "doctoring". Since when is a newbie nurse going to go from general admissions to the ER to a surgical suite, all in the span of a few episodes?

The nurses also tend to diagnose at the patient's bedside, where in reality they have zero training or right to do so. I'm not looking for 100% realism (remember ER?) but it's laughable how much leeway the writers give nursing in this show, distracting from what little suspension of disbelief viewers may have.

This is one of the few shows where the cast of people who aren't quite as well known as the mega-stars in all the other shows still work fantastic. Here's the breakdown, this cast has feel, dynamic, and most of all they play off one another perfectly, between spunk and genuine feel the rhythm of this show is authentic.

Now as for the actual plot, its more of less the same as every other medical drama, yada yada yada people in medical crisis, yada yada, people needing a doctor, yada yada relationships, not really far from the norm. At least the interactions between all of the cast is worth watching. I give it a solid 8/10.